Improvement in machinery for dressing hemp and flax



W. W. GRANT. MAGHINERY FOR GLEANING FLAX AND HEMP.

No. 7,139. Patented Mar. 5, 1850.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

WILLIAM IV. GRANT, OF PROVIDENCE COUNTY, RHODE ISLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING HEMP AND FLAX.

foal; whom/it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. GRANT, of the county of Providence andState of Rhode Island, have invented a new or Improved Machine forCleaning either Flax or Hemp; and I do hereby declare that the same isfully de-. scribed and'represented in the following specification andaccompanying drawings, letters, figures, and references thereof.

Of the said drawings, Figure 1 denotes a top View of my said machine.Fig. 2 is an elevation of one side of it. Fig. 3 is an elevation of theopposite side. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal Fig. 5 is a verticaland transverse sectionpf it,taken through the axis of the toothedcylinder, to be hereinafter described.

' The operative parts of the mechanism are supported by a frame. A,suitably made.

A cylinder or drum, B, is arranged on the upper-part of the frame A, andon a--horizontal shaft, 0, sustained by suitable boxes. This cylindermay be about two feet in diameter, and

should have its curved surface studded with strong teeth aa, 82o. ,whichshould project about two and one-half inches therefrom, and have alltheir outer ends or points nicely ground, and terminating in the curvedsurface of a cylinder, or, in other. words, so that each point or outerend of each tooth of the series shall be at the same radial distancefrom the axis of the cylinder B. A driving-pulley, D, is fixed on theshaft of the cylinder B, motion being imparted to the said cylinderthereby and. by means of an endless belt running upon the said pulleyand a driving-drum suitably placed and operated.

Underneath the toothed cylinder B are a set of three feed-rollers, E FG, arranged with respect to one another, as seen in Fig. 4. The twolower ones, F G, have their journals supported by boxes b c, jointedrespectively upon the short arms of two levers, N O, which turnrespectively on fulcra at de. The j ournals of the upper roller turn inbearings made in the lower end of two stationary bars or pieces of woodor metal, P Q; the whole being seen in Figs. 2'

and 3. An endless feeding-apron, I, is made to extend between the rollerE and the two rollers F and G, [and to be supported by and pass aroundrollers F and H, as seen in Fig. 4.

Below the cylinder B and in front of the roller E is whatI term theconcave K,which isa hollow piece of wood or metal, having its uppersurface curved to agree or nearly agree with the curve of the points ofthe teeth of the cyliuder B. Itshould be firmly fixed to the frame A,and brought up as near to the roller E and the teeth of the cylinder Bas it can be without obstructing their revolutions. An endlesswash-apron, N, running over. and supported by two rollers, L M, isarranged with respect to the concave K as seen in Fig. 4.

A shield or piece of sheet iron or metal, N, extends partially aroundthe roller F, and so as to cover or protect the endless apron I where itpasses around the same. This shield commences at or near the top of theroller, and from thence curves partially around the roller and over theapron and down tothe top of the trunk or delivery-box Ofiasseen in Fig.4. The width of the box is equal or about equal to the length of thetoothed cylinden B. It proceeds or opens from the lower part'ofachamber, P,

or wind-space, which is made to surround the cylinder B, as seen in Fig.4. This wind-space is open at the front, or at h,and has a slidingregister or gate, 6, adapted to it in such manner as to enable a personto regulate the admission of air intothe space, a current thereof beingproduced by the rapid rotation of the cylinder in the direction denotedby the arrow therein in Fig. 4.

The delivering trunk or box 0 may or may not be provided with a grate,S, over its bottom, as seen in Fig. 4, and the said box. may be made toextendin an inclined direction and to the distance beyond the endlessaprons, as seen in the drawings.

' The feed-rollers and their apron are put in revolution by two endlessbands, k Z, and four pulleys, m n 0 p. The first band passes around thepulley m, fixed in the shaft of the cylinder B. It also passes aroundthe pulley n, which is joined to the pulley 0, and turns on one commonaxis, q,with it. 'The other endless band, Z, proceeds from around thepulley o to and around the pulley p,'fixed on the shaft of thefeed-roller F, the whole being as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. The other orwaste apron, N, is put in revolution by means of two endless bands, r s;and four pulleys, t u v 10, disposed as seen in Figs. 1 and 3-that is tosay, the pulley tis' fixed onthe shaft of the cylinder B. From andaround this pulley the endless bar rpasses to and about the large pulleyu,which is fixed to the pulley o, and turns on the same axis, a, withit. The band 8 is a crossed band. It passes around the small pulley '0,and thence around the pulley w, fixed on the shaft of the roller M. Thelower feed-rollers, F G, are pressed upward or toward the roller E bymeans of weights hung on the long arms of the levers N O. I

In some of the Western States flax as well as hemp is raised for thesake of the seed there of, and for this purpose, when it is in a properstate, it is spread out on a floor and trampled ortrod by horses orcattle, the seed being then or afterward separated from the fibrousmaterial. The fiax or hemp or fibrous material so trampled is mixed withaligneous matter and more or less with extraneous substances,which itbecomes desirable to separate from it before it can be conveniently usedor spun. My ma: chine is destined to operate in flax orhemp in such astate and under such circumstances,

and for the purpose of rendering'useful an article which is nowgenerally thrown away as worthless or of very little value.

Without the shield Napplied to the endless apron, and so interposedbetween it and the teeth of the cylinder 13 as to prevent them frominjuring it during the revolutions of the cylinder, the apron wouldshortly become torn or out, so as to require renewal, also to preventthe journals of the rollers from winding up with the waste or lint. Inthe operation of the machine the mixture of hemp or flair,

sticks, and foreign matters to be separated therefrom is placedor-spread' on the apron I whilethe latter is in motion. By the saidapron it is carried between the rollers F G and the roller E, and inpassing outward or from between the two rollers E and F it is presentedto the action of the cylinder 13. Thisseparates the fibrous materialfrom the sticks or woody matter, and throws the latter over the' concaveK and upon the apron N, from whence it is to be removed by hand or inany other. proper way. The current of air produced by the revolution ofthe cylinder B impinges on the stuff as it proceeds from between therollers E F. dirt and much foreign matter and throws it down into andthrough the trunk 0 Having thus describedmyinvention, what I claim is--I '1. The combination of the toothed cylinder 13, the wind-passage P,the trunk 0 the endless apron I, the set of feed-rollers E F G, theconcave K, and'the waste-apron N, the whole arranged and made to operatetogether substantially in manner and for the purpose as above set-forth.

' 2. In' combination with the feed-apron, its roller F, and toothedcylinder B, the protecting shield N, the same being for the purpose ofprotecting the apron'from injury and wear, asspecified, also to protectthe journals of the rollers from winding up with wasteor lint.

In testimony whereof I have hereto set my signature this 22d day ofSeptember, A.D 1849.

WM. W. GRANT.

Witnesses:

W. W. UPDIKE, A. H. MANCHESTER.

In so doing it blows out the loose

